Stable But Conflicted Interfaces

有了这个奖项，大分子、超分子和纳米化学（MSN）项目将资助休斯顿大学的T. Randall Lee研究开发新的、更好的材料，这些材料将在从医疗植入物到耐腐蚀薄膜等技术中得到应用。这种方法包括制造由不同化学物质组成的薄膜，比如通常不会混合的油和水。当这些薄膜被涂在表面上时，结果是一个“冲突”的界面，其中一个吸附分子的一部分，例如油状的部分，可能会粘在一起，而另一部分会被排斥。由于不需要或不需要的物质不太可能附着在这些类型的混合表面上，因此它们具有一定的优势。它们对于生产医疗植入物特别有价值，因为它们比其他表面更具生物惰性。它们也更耐腐蚀，为这些材料开辟了新的应用领域。这项工作正在对各种技术的新材料的开发产生更广泛的影响，包括可能开发能够检测微量化学危害的智能表面。通过研究人员参与几个教育和推广项目，包括休斯顿大学拉丁裔推广项目和其他项目，它正在对培养多样化的下一代科学家产生进一步的广泛影响。在这项研究中，研究人员正在系统地探索由化学物质组成的有机薄膜，这些化学物质通常会相分离，以制备自然界中不存在的超薄油漆状涂层。该研究集中在当前技术感兴趣的三个系统上：(1)设计和开发用于稳定薄膜涂层的多齿吸附剂，该吸附剂含有化学相似或化学不同的官能团的特定混合物，以产生具有独特组成和功能的异质界面；(2)制备定制的部分氟化吸附质分子，以生成具有明确组成和结构的纳米级氟化膜，目的是确定构建具有可控疏水性、抗粘附性和润滑性的有机界面所需的关键元素；(3)研究模拟工业相关聚合物骨架的薄膜结构，目的是评估理想聚合物表面的性质和反应性。研究和教育计划有四个主要重点：(1)设计和合成新分子，以组装结构和化学上定义良好的界面；(2)对相应影片的详细表征；(3)彻底检查这些系统中的界面润湿、粘附和摩擦；(4)将有机化学、分子自组装和纳米技术等主要研究概念整合到休斯顿大学少数民族参与项目的课程模块中。

With this award, the Macromolecular, Supramolecular and Nanochemistry (MSN) Program is funding T. Randall Lee of the University of Houston for research to develop new and better materials that will find use in technologies ranging from medical implants to corrosion-resistant films. The approach involves the fabrication of films composed of dissimilar chemical species, such as oil and water that would not normally mix. When these films are applied to a surface, the result is a "conflicted" interface, where one part of an adsorbing molecule the oil-like part, for example may stick, while the other part will be repelled. Since unwanted or undesirable substances are less likely to adhere to these types of mixed surfaces, they have certain advantages. They are especially valuable for producing medical implants since they are more biologically inert than other surfaces. They are also more resistant to corrosion, opening up new realms of application for these materials. The work is having a broader impact on the development of new materials for a variety of technologies including the possible development of smart surfaces that will be capable of detecting trace chemical hazards. It is having a further broad impact on the training of a diverse future generation of scientists through the investigators' participation in several educational and outreach programs, including the University of Houston Latino Outreach program and others.In this research, the investigators are conducting a systematic exploration of organic thin films composed of chemical species that would normally phase separate in order to prepare ultrathin paint-like coatings that do no not exist in nature. The research focuses on three systems of current technological interest: (1) the design and development of multidentate adsorbates for stable thin-film coatings that contain a specified mixture of functional groups, either chemically similar or chemically dissimilar, to generate heterogeneous interfaces with unique composition and function; (2) the preparation of custom-tailored, partially-fluorinated adsorbate molecules to generate nanoscale fluorinated films having well-defined composition and structure, with the goal to define the critical elements needed to construct organic interfaces with controlled hydrophobicity, anti-adhesiveness, and lubricity; and (3) the investigation of thin-film architectures that mimic the backbones of industrially relevant polymers, with the goal to evaluate the properties and reactivity of ideal polymer surfaces. The research and education program has four main thrusts: (1) design and synthesis of new molecules to assemble structurally and chemically well-defined interfaces; (2) detailed characterization of the corresponding films; (3) thorough examination of interfacial wetting, adhesion and friction in these systems; and (4) integration of the major research concepts of organic chemistry, molecular self-assembly and nanotechnology into course modules for use in minority participation projects at the University of Houston.